Grieving family shows Weld how to face the sadness

Tragedy upon tragedy upon tragedy. Greeley faced one of its saddest stories in years last week. A teenage girl lies in a hospital in serious condition. Her two younger brothers and her infant daughter are dead.

The loss to a single family is incomprehensible. Their unselfishness and benevolence at such a time is unbelievable.

Monday afternoon Tania Bustillo, 17, was driving her brothers home to Greeley from school in Ault; the parents said they wanted their sons in a smaller school, away from gang influence. Tania’s 3-month-old daughter, Destiny Musquiz, was along for the ride.

For reasons unknown, Tania drove through a stop sign at Weld County Road 37 and AA Street north of Greeley and her car hit a pickup truck.

Her 15-year-old brother, Enrique Bustillos, died that night; Miguel, 12, died the next day. On Wednesday, the family made the heart-wrenching decision to disconnect little Destiny from life support. Tania remains at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley recovering from her injuries sustained in the crash. It was just on Friday that the family told Tania the horrendous news that her baby girl and two brothers had died from their injuries.

Over a three-day period, the Bustillo family found themselves traveling back and forth between NCMC and Denver’s Children’s Hospital where Miguel and Destiny were being cared for. Enrique died at Denver’s Health Medical Center.

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Stop for a moment. Imagine the exhaustion, the fear, the grief, the disbelief the Bustilloses experienced as they watched, one by one, their young children die.

No, actually we can’t imagine.

Then, the parents and grandparents, Valentin and Gracelia Bustillos, made the amazing and loving decision to donate Miguel and Destiny’s organs in order to help others. Officials said Miguel’s heart was implanted into another child almost immediately.

And if such generosity in the midst of deadly anguish is not incredible enough, the Bustillo family decided to donate any money contributed in its behalf to Children’s Hospital or to NCMC.

Such immeasurable compassion should be a cornerstone of kindness for us all.

And what is the pickup driver, Gene Decker of Loveland, experiencing? On his way home from work, he did everything he could to avoid the accident once he saw Tania’s car run the stop sign.

While standing beside the road Monday afternoon, Decker reflected, “You can see right where I noticed her,” and he pointed to skid marks about 20 feet from the intersection.

Then there are the first-responders and hospital staff who worked to save these children. And what about the passers-by who stopped?

Greeley resident Amy Lee witnessed the horrendous accident, called 911 and went to check on the people in the car, while others were tending to the pickup driver.

The tragedy has touched many. The Ault school district, for example, raised more than $3,000 for the family by the end of the week.

So how then can we be comforted? Where do we get a quieting of the incessant question, “Why?”

It comes from the immutable desire of human beings to go on. Erika Garcia, at Saturday’s funeral for the three children, said of Enrique, who wanted to open an auto body garage, “It hurts me to know that we can’t finish our plans, but I will only for you.”

But beyond such practical visions comes the spiritual. We must follow the lead of the Bustillo family who is not afraid to face its pain.

Today, we may be heavy with sorrow. But as Father Bernie Schmitz at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church said Saturday, “The angels have accepted them.”